Pediatric TB course in Dhaka, Bangladesh

On July 15 2013, the Sentinel Project, sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development’s TB CARE II project, organized “Improving the Quality of Care for Children with Drug-Resistant TB” in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The workshop was attended by a total of 35 participants, primarily pediatricians from public and private hospitals and medical colleges. Local and international experts presented on pediatric MDR TB, diagnostic and treatment challenges, strategies for ensuring treatment adherence, monitoring and infection control. A special session demonstrated the gastric aspirate, a technique used for obtaining sputum samples from very young patients.  Participants discussed and recommended priority actions for scaling up the availability of services for pediatric MDR TB patients in Bangladesh. The recommendations include establishing a working group to oversee the planning and implementation of pediatric MDR-TB activities and provide clinical guidance; the design and implementation of a pilot project on contact tracing including specimen collection and referral; conducting operational research to support policy and strategy formulations; and updating medical curricula to improve education on the management of childhood TB.